Justice News

McKean County Man Sentenced To 5 Years In Prison For Receiving Child Pornography

ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Smethport, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 60 months in jail and ordered to pay a fine in the amount of $36,000 on his conviction of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

United States District Judge Maurice B. Cohill, Jr. imposed the sentence on Peter Nollen Hergenrother, 63.

According to information presented to the court, Hergenrother received computer images depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Hergenrother.

Launched in February 2006, Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.